Multimedia: just another lecturing tool?

An outline is given of the development of a self authored multimedia package for enhancing lectures in an introductory undergraduate fluid mechanics course. The self authored approach provides a flexible environment in which the software can be developed over a relatively long time frame. This enables an academic with limited resources to develop and implement an effective software package in a series of steps. The motivation for introducing the multimedia tools is based on a set of educational initiatives which can most effectively be implemented through the use of multimedia. A monitoring program has been implemented to help to define future educational initiatives and to indicate the effectiveness of those initiatives that are being implemented. Examples of how some of the initiatives are being introduced into the lectures are also given